Conducting Content Analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v＝tBbGCQnxqys Read Babbie, Chapter 11, P 330-342 Think about a research question relevant to the recent Covid-19 pandemic and find out responses using content analysis. Some possible themes you explore could be (but not limited to) emergency preparedness, access to information, communication of preventive measures, etc. Start with a clear, direct research question. Next, follow these five steps. For help go to Developing strong research questions. 1. Select the content you will analyze: Based on your research question, choose the texts that you will analyze. You need to decide: a) The medium (e.g. newspapers, speeches or websites) and genre (e.g. opinion pieces, political campaign speeches, or marketing copy) b) The criteria for inclusion (e.g. newspaper articles that mention a particular event, speeches by a certain politician, or websites selling a specific type of product) c) The parameters in terms of date range, location, etc. 2. Define the units and categories of analysis. Next, determine the level at which you will analyze your chosen texts. This means defining: a) The unit(s) of meaning that will be coded. For example, are you going to record the frequency of individual words and phrases, the characteristics of people who produced or appear in the texts, the presence, and positioning of images, or the treatment of themes and concepts? b) The set of categories that you will use for coding. Categories can be objective characteristics (e.g. female, aged 40-50, lawyer, mother) or more conceptual (e.g. trustworthy, corrupt, conservative, family-oriented). 3. Develop a set of rules for coding Organize (code) the units of meaning into the previously defined categories. Especially with more conceptual categories, it’s important to clearly define the rules for what will and won’t be included to ensure that all texts are coded consistently. Coding rules are especially important if multiple researchers are involved, but even if you’re coding all of the text by yourself, recording the rules makes your method more transparent and reliable. 4. Code the text according to the rules: Go through each text and record all relevant data in the appropriate categories. Following your coding rules, examine each newspaper article in your sample. 5. Analyze the results and draw conclusions: Once coding is complete, the collected data is examined to find patterns and draw conclusions in response to your research question. 6. Create a Content Analysis Report The report should include: a) your research question, b) a detailed explanation of your analysis, c) your results.
